Variant Rules
"Old World" Rules System These rules are heavily based on older editions of Dungeons and Dragons, and are designed to incentivize particular behaviors and make the world feel more dangerous, the setting more realistic, and your triumphs more heroic. If any of these rules seem rather harsh, keep in mind that t'he same rules that apply to your character also apply to your enemies'. The rules are not designed to punish you; they are designed to make combat a more difficult decision. General Rules These are short, general rules that do not require much explanation as to how they work. Gritty Realism A short rest is eight hours, and a long rest is seven days. Hit Point Vitality When a creature is above half of its hit points, it is in a normal state of activity and composure called high vitality. When it is below half of its hit points, the creature becomes noticeably injured and hampered by its wounds, entering a state of low vitality. This state causes a creature to take a point of exhaustion. Further, if a creature's hit points are equal to or lower than its number of hit die (or level, for player characters), it enters a state of critical vitality. In this state, it takes an additional level of exhaustion. Healer's Kit Dependancy To recover health using your hit die, you must expend one use of a healer's kit. You must roll a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check and only if you are proficient with the Medicine skill. You can also make this check for another member of your party, taking one hour to treat their wounds. This check is an automatic success if one is proficient with the healer's kit. Attunement and Discovery Magic items are storied and mythical objects, whose use is tied to their histories. To properly Identify an item, one needs to spend a long rest researching the item. The spell Identify will tell of its name and where it comes from, but will not grant more than that; researching the item during a long rest is required to learn of its origins and history. To attune to an item properly, one must have both Identified the item and pass an ability check to learn more about the item. More details can be found under the Downtime: Research section in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. System Shock If a creature drops from high vitality to critical vitality in one round, or it takes damage while it is in critical vitality, the creature must roll on the table below. Lingering Injuries When a creature suffers a critical hit or is dropped to 0 hit points, it must roll on the lingering injuries table. Experience Experience is a mechanic that often does not represent things in the real world; in the Old World, experience actually reflects a combination of elements that work in tandem to build one's legacy and make them more formidable. This is something that most people do not experience in their lifetimes, only the most daring and perhaps fortunate will gain experience in combat and in transcendental skills. Unlike in typical settings, experience is something that comes by in smaller amounts. First, we will be using a milestone system. This is by no means an attempt to tune up difficulty arbitrarily; you also receive additional features, immunities, skills, and powers associated with your religion, your race, your affiliations, and your class. As an example, all racial bonuses have been buffed so they equal the same score on the Musicus Meter, with at most five (5) points to combat-related features and at least four (4) points to non-combat related features. Every race is rated as a 9 on the Musicus Meter, which is 50% greater than the average in standard 5e. However, these mostly reflect increases in versatility outside of combat. To compound this further, you will select your archetype at 1st level, and choose one of the two archetype features at that time. To level up, you must take a long rest, which means going into town. This reflects revelations, training, and meditation that earns you your additional level. "Greyhawk" Initiative Main article: Initiative Amor types Main article: Armor Old World Magic Main article: Magic Category:Meta